Colorado Wilderness Rides & Guides

Although these are usually associated with fair weather, under unstable atmospheric conditions they can grow rapidly upward into thunderheads. Cumulus congestus, more commonly known as towering cumulus, form when cumulus clouds experience growth in unstable air conditions. If you see cumulus starting to grow upwards into towering cumulus, it’s a good indicator to start planning your descent. In unstable air conditions, these clouds then continue to rise upwards and grow into thunderstorm clouds.

Although having an aggressive wildlife encounter is very unlikely, it’s good to know what to do just in case. While black bears are generally skittish and will usually run from people, it’s good to know what to do if a bear takes interest in you. None Do not run, this can trigger a bear’s instinct to chase you, and bears are much faster than humans None Make yourself appear larger, spread arms and wave them slowly, speaking to the lion in a low, calm voice.

Although these are usually associated with fair weather, under unstable atmospheric conditions they can grow rapidly upward into thunderheads. Cumulus congestus, more commonly known as towering cumulus, form when cumulus clouds experience growth in unstable air conditions. If you see cumulus starting to grow upwards into towering cumulus, it’s a good indicator to start planning your descent. In unstable air conditions, these clouds then continue to rise upwards and grow into thunderstorm clouds.

Once there, the low pressure’s counterclockwise winds draw warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and push it towards the mountains via easterly winds. The clockwise winds of a high pressure system to the north of Colorado can also create easterly winds and thus, an upslope setup. But because the air associated with high pressure is much drier than in low pressure systems, this type of setup usually only results in minor accumulations for the Front Range. When this occurs, the high winds from the high pressure system and the excess precipitation from the low pressure system can create blizzard conditions along the Front Range.